"I regret that my comments could have been misinterpreted this week in my interview with Europe 1 Radio," she told CBS' Sunday Morning. "I simply meant to say that in an ideal world, every performance will be given equal opportunities for consideration."

Controversy around the Oscars acting categories has been ramping up this week since Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith said they will not attend this year's awards show because of the lack of any diversity in the nominees of all four acting categories.

Rampling, who is nominated for best actress for her performance in 45 Years, went on to say that she believes "diversity in our industry is an important issue that needs to be addressed" and she is "highly encouraged by the changes revealed Friday by the Academy to diversify its membership." An announcement by Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs outlined a plan to diversify membership, hoping to double the amount of women and diverse members by 2020.